1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic component mounting apparatus which has a plurality of component feeding units for feeding electronic components, being aligned on a base, and a mounting head provided with suction nozzles, being movable between the component feeding units and a printed board, where the suction nozzles pick the electronic components up from the component feeding units.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional electronic component mounting apparatus of this type is called a multifunctional electronic component mounting apparatus. Control of component pick-up positions is important in this mounting apparatus, particularly for mounting micro-sized electronic components. Therefore, a board recognition camera is mounted on a movable beam and is utilized for monitoring the pick-up positions and informing a CPU of visual alignment thereof.
There is disclosed a technology in which information of aligned positions at component feeding positions is recognized by and stored in a component feeding position recognition camera predetermined times before component mounting operation. Then, subsequent component pick-up positions are aligned based on the stored information, thereby minimizing adverse effects caused by a difference in size between each of the component feeding units and storage tapes (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 6-85492).
Monitoring of the pick-up positions and informing of the visual alignment thereof are performed in each of the component feeding units aligned on a base one by one. Here, an informing method of a component pick-up position of the conventional art will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. The number of a component feeding unit to be informed of is specified and an informing mode is executed. Then, an electronic component mounting apparatus moves a board recognition camera mounted on a beam to a specified pick-up position and makes the camera take an image thereof. A graphic double circle having size of a suction nozzle (external diameter, internal diameter) specified for suction are displayed, being superimposed over the stored image together with a center O (a targeted center position) of the suction nozzle for suction and a cross line C (FIG. 22). An operator decides whether or not the component pick-up position is appropriate. If alignment of the position is needed, the stored image is moved to align it to a proper position by operating a trackball (FIG. 23), and informing of visual alignment is executed. Offset data of the pick-up position in the specified component feeding unit is updated based on a shift amount (Δx, Δy) of the image.
Informing of visual alignment which is executed one by one in each of the component feeding units aligned on the base causes wasting of time for setting up of the apparatus for manufacturing a printed board of a new type before running.